As the era of Christianity is taking a firm foothold of Europe and Scandinavia during the late 1500s and early 1600s. The prosecution, accusations, and pure terror against anyone who did not fit the mold of a true Christian was faced with doubt, suspicion, and allegations of being in a pact with the Devil. Even if Christianity was becoming the main religion in the regions. It was common among townsfolk when in great doubt, sickness and worries to pay a visit to the old lady, the shaman, or the local healer. Some of these shamans depending on where you lived could also be a part of the Indigenous people of Scandinavia, the Sami. Whether you where that local old lady, that local shaman or one of the many regional Sami’s roaming the north of Scandinavia during this period of history, it was extremely dangerous to express local beliefs, superstitions, and an alternative faith then Christianity. The goal of this essay is to take a closer look at some of these cases, analyze the trials and prosecutions of these witches and Sami Shamans within Swedish courts, to see the similarities and discuss six cases in greater details. The conclusion of this essay is that we see some similarities between Swedish witches and Sami people who used magic, however the use and/or blame off alcohol may vary, the methods on how these witches would inflict “hurtful magic” was different and so too the trials. There is a “clearer mentioning” of torture on “Swedish witches” then Sami witches. The Swedish witches would use “totems” and items to cast spells, while Sami witches would use vocal incantations to hurt their victims.

The subject of this bachelor thesis is the study of the artefact type called simple shaft-hole axe (Swedish: enkel skafthålsyxa) that have been found in the northern region of Sweden, Norrland. In contrast to finds in southern and middle Sweden, axes of this type in Norrland have not been extensively studied. Therefor the aim of this paper is to tabulate their number and distribution and see if the axes have any spatial relation to ancient monuments (Swedish: fornlämningar) dated to the same period and to see if the axes have any spatial relationship to any specific type of geography/terrain. This study also analyzes how they compare to the axes found in the rest of Sweden and thus what they may be able to tell us about prehistoric society in Norrland. This paper can be viewed as an extension of Per Lekberg’s dissertation Yxors liv, människors landskap: en studie av kulturlandskap och samhälle i Mellansveriges senneolitikum which is the most modern and extensive analysis of axes found in southern and middle Sweden and has provided a blueprint for the research done in this paper.

This essay explores the divinatory practice of incubation in ancient Egypt during the Graeco-Roman period with a particular focus on the magical and religious significance of the practice. Two main sanctuaries, Abydos and Deir el-Bahari have been investigated with a focus on the gods Bes and Osiris in the former and Amenhotep and Imhotep in the latter. The study has mainly examined surviving epigraphy and the ritual and cultic elements of the sites in relation to physical space as a prerequisite for ritual incubation. In addition, this study has related Greek influences on the practice of incubation in Egypt as a potential source of origin but has also investigated indigenous Egyptian traditions both for questioning the origin of and placing the practice into context. / Denna uppsats undersöker den spådomspraktik så kallad inkubation i Antika Egypten under dess Grekisk-romerska period med ett särskilt fokus på den magiska och religiösa meningen med praktiken. Två primära helgedomar, nämligen Abydos och Deir el-Bahari, har undersökts med ett fokus på gudarna Bes och Osiris i den förra och Amenhotep samt Imhotep i den senare. Studien har främst undersökt kvarlevande epigrafik och den rituella och det kultiska elementet av platserna i relation till fysiskt utrymme som en föregångare för rituell inkubation. Dessutom har denna studie relaterat grekiska influenser på inkubation i Egypten som ett potentiellt ursprung men har även undersökt inhemsk egyptisk tradition både i frågan om dess härkomst och för att ställa praktiken i sin kontext.

Uppsatsen undersöker björnklor upptäckta i järnåldersgravar (ca 500 e.Kr. – 1100 e.Kr.) på Gotland, Sverige. Brunbjörnen har aldrig funnits som en del av i öns fauna, vilket innebär att varje björnklo som upptäcks är ett spår av ett forntida utbyte mellan ön i fråga och omgivande fastlandsområden. Tidigare forskning inom ämnet har mest bestått av sammanställningar av gravkontexter med björnklor. För att ytterligare tolka björnklorna och för att diskutera det möjliga syftet bakom deponeringar i gravar behöver emellertid klor knytas till tillhörande tassar. En vanlig förklaring är att björnklor härstammar från pälsverk. Teorin om päls fungerar dock inte för alla upptäckta klor. Därför syftar uppsatsen till att skapa en metrisk metod genom mätningar av referensmaterial av björnklor. Tanken är att mätmetoden ska användasför att undersöka och tolka arkeologiska fynd av björnklor. Tolkningen av klorna är en viktig del i förståelsen om hur djurresurser nyttjades under förhistorisk tid. / This paper examines bear claws discovered in Iron Age graves (c. 500 AD – 1100 AD) in Gotland, Sweden. The brown bear has never existed as a part in the island's fauna, meaning that every bear claw discovered is a trace of the ancient exchange between this island and the surrounding mainlands. Previous research on the subject has mostly consisted of compilations of the number of grave contexts with bear claws. However, to further interpret bear claws from each burial context and to discuss the possible purpose behind deposition in the grave, claws need to be assessed for associated paws. A common explanation is that bear claws derives from fur. However, the theory of fur does not work for all discovered claws. Therefore, the paper aims to create a metric method through measurements of reference material of bear claws. The idea is that the measurement method could be used to examineand interpret the archaeological bear claws. The interpretation of the claws is an important part of the understanding of how animal resources were used in prehistoric times.

During the 9th and 10th centuries large amounts of Islamic coins arrived in Scandinavia. Most of them were used as silver in a bullion-economy and were often fragmented because of this. However, their use was not limited to only economic purposes because we see large amounts of pendants made of these coins. By suspending a coin with a loop or only a hole you transform it into something completely different, something that has a new meaning. This new meaning is the focus of this thesis and by analysing graves where Islamic coin pendants were deposited, we can conclude how they were thought of and used. In this thesis I conclude that Islamic coin-pendants were used as status objects during the Viking-age, by both elite and non-elite people in Uppland. The Islamic inscriptions on the coins were most likely not understood and probably only seen as symbols and patterns similarly to other European coin-pendants.

The purpose is to highlight emigrants' own experiences and perceptions of migration and return migration. By shedding light on emigrants' personal experiences of integration, it can foster greater understanding of certain aspects of migrants' situation today.  An overview of previous research has identified gaps and areas that require further investigation, especially regarding emigrants' own experiences and perceptions of migration and return migration. Based on the purpose, this paper intends to employ the theoretical concepts of gender, class, and hegemonic masculinity to explore, explain, and discuss this theme.  Key conclusions include that the decision to emigrate was strongly influenced by network migration, where social networks played a central role in the decision-making process. Swedes were prioritized over other ethnicities in certain sectors of the American job market. From the emigrants' own stories, it is evident that further advancement was unthinkable, leading Swedes to take low-status jobs that American citizens were uninterested in. Hegemonic gender structures highlight a hierarchy within the white group. While social stratification measurements mainly focused on men, the sources presented in the paper also depict descriptions of women improving their social status upon return.

This essay describes the artistic project Skolbrandsarkeologi (school fire archeology) and operates within the field of contemporary archaeology. The essay presents three examples of when contemporary archaeology has played a role in, or contributed to, the healing of individuals or of relatives to people who have experienced traumatic events. These examples are then discussed in relation to the artistic project Skolbrandsarkeologi. The essay also explores the role that physical objects can play for memories and the various ethical challenges that the discipline of contemporary archeology may face. The results indicate that contemporary archaeology, both on its own and in collaborations with other disciplines, can have a positive therapeutic impact on the memories and experiences of traumatic events.

The author has categorized and analysed slag deposits in different contexts. The categories are as such: slag on arable land, slag and mounds, slag at graves, slag as grave, slag at settlements and slag at the outskirts. Ironmaking sites and slag heaps appear in contexts that suggest they may have been perceived as symbolically significant for the farm's inhabitants and was included in common ritual practices. There is reason to believe that ironmaking sites and slag heaps have interacted with people and given rise to ideological thoughts, this includes the Odal mentality. Also, the construction of burial fields near ironmaking sites and vice versa, could demonstrate a connection with the past. Iconographic motifs and Norse texts reflect symbolic aspects of iron handling, especially craft and blacksmithing are portrayed as activities associated with ideologically important stories. Ironmaking sites are also found to be connected to symbolically important places such as Torsåker, Vi, etc.

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The purpose of this essay is to study how the memory of the artist John Bauer is manifested by businesses and places around the city of Jönköping. This was done by observing how John Bauer’s memory is used in five different places as well as through dialogue with spokespersons from these five businesses to gather further information. The places examined in the study are the following: Länsmuseet's exhibition called "Follow John", John Bauer’s Park, John Bauer hotel, Bauergården and Trolska boat trips. The questions that the study intends to answer are how and why the memory of John Bauer is used around Jönköping. The companies' use of John Bauer has been analysed with the help of Karlsson’s typology of the use of history, but it was not enough to apply that theory alone. A site perspective on the use of history taken by Niels Kayser Nielsen was used to create further understanding. The result shows that there are both similarities and differences in the said actors’ use of the memory. All actors use the theme of forest and trolls to convey information about Bauer's artistic inspiration. The theme, on the other hand, is used more or less where Bauergården weaves it into the meals while the John Bauer–hotel only elevates it into the interior. There is also a focus on using the places where John Bauer took inspiration for his paintings, both in the forest and in the places he has lived. However, this also differs a lot between the actors as some build their entire business around the specific location and others do not.